Oblivion Song, an Image Comics title introduced relatively recently, is already set for live-action glory; a notion that makes a lot more sense when you realize that the comic is the creation of Robert Kirkman, the mastermind behind Image’s The Walking Dead and the AMC cable TV franchise it spawned. However, this particular Kirkman adaptation is bound for the big-screen with studio Universal, which is partnering with Kirkman’s Skybound Entertainment.
Robert Kirkman will help develop the Oblivion Song movie via Skybound, joined by company cohorts David Alpert, Bryan Furst and Sean Furst, all of whom will work with Universal’s Jon Mone and Lexi Barta to bring the apocalyptic comic to life. While the director’s chair is still vacant, the script will be penned by an up-and-coming screenwriter in Sean O’Keefe, who wrote the script for the upcoming crime drama, Wonderland, which will once again see director Peter Berg working with star Mark Wahlberg.
The mythology of Oblivion Song puts an interdimensional twist on the typical apocalypse scenario. The Philadelphia-set comic takes place a decade after a catastrophe in which 300,000 people mysteriously vanished, sent to a hellish alternate dimension, called Oblivion, which is also brimming with monsters that are crossing over to our side. Consequently, scientist Nathan Cole uses his dimension-crossing technology to form a monster-mashing strike team designed to rescue the missing people; an endeavor that becomes increasingly difficult due to the pragmatic aspect of increasing costs and shrinking success. Thus, as Kirkman himself has revealed, the series is also laced with satire about post-9/11 life and the surprising level of complacency that occurs in the aftermath of a surreal, life-changing global calamity.
As far as live-action Kirkman comic book projects go, Oblivion Song was rather inevitable, given the plethora of projects the creator is already fielding. Kirkman’s Walking Dead empire remains solid, with the comic series recently garnering major attention after it killed off a previously unkillable character. Moreover, while AMC’s The Walking Dead and spinoff series Fear the Walking Dead may not be the ratings juggernauts they once were, the shows are still amongst the most popular on cable TV. Kirkman is also developing an Amazon animated TV series adaptation of his comic series, Invincible.
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There’s no word yet on when we can expect to see Oblivion Song at theaters, but we will certainly keep you updated here on the project as the news arrives!
Joseph Baxter is a contributor for Den of Geek and Syfy Wire. You can find his work here. Follow him on Twitter @josbaxter.